First Ever Review- Carnival Valor

[Bellicheck Brain Trust]

Hey all,

 

 

Never did a review before, and I promised myself I would do one for the Vista, so I am going to use the Valor as a warm up to what will be a longer review. We just got back from the Valor on the May 26th sailing which was a 4 day voyage to Nassau and Freeport. This cruise was my bachelor party cruise and I had 8 of my closest friends join me. I was able to get the captains suite for free from the casino and I had my buddies with me on lido. Overall the cruise was great (for obvious reasons) but this was the first time I left Carnival a bit disappointed (which I will describe later). I will break my review into four buckets; (i) the ship, (ii) the crew, (iii) the ports, (iv) the entertainment

 

 

The Ship: This was my fourth time on the Valor and first since dry dock. All of the upgrades were amazing. Thoroughly enjoyed the red frog pub (shuffleboard and games), Alchemy (best drinks at sea) and Guys Burger. I was glad they still kept areas such as fish and chips as we love going there when the ship has it. The ship looked to be in very good condition as well. My stateroom was beautifully kept.

 

 

 

The Crew: This is where I have to say I was most disappointed. Not necessarily with individuals, but the service on the ship was terrible. On average I would say it took 20 plus minutes to get a drink. Whether it be at the red frog pub, casino, alchemy, dinner, the bar service was terrible. There weren’t enough servers and bartenders to keep up with the demand. Not sure if this was a mix of Memorial Day cruise, new cheers, etc. but it was extremely disappointing. Even if I went to the bar myself to get a drink the line was always extremely long. Secondly, wait service in the main dining room was slow. Night 1 we went to the steakhouse, which always has great service. Night 2 in the main dining room for formal night, dinner took close to two hours. We got in sharp at six and didn’t get out until 7:45. After that dinner we asked them to speed service the next night, and same result. I like a nice drawn out dinner, but this was way too long for even my liking. On a good note, the casino staff were incredible per usual but overall we were not happy with the service.

 

 

 

The Ports: I may be spoiled due to my cruising frequency but Nassau and Freeport are just plain terrible. Nassau always has tons of boats in port and the main attraction (Atlantis) is extremely expensive. This was my first time to Freeport and I thought excursion options were limited and didn’t offer anything new/interesting. The port itself also has minimal shopping and seemed quite boring. To put it mildly I don’t think I will visit these ports again.

 

Entertainment: Very happy to be back to the old school Carnival shows with the live band and lots of dancers. For a four day cruise (with one being the welcome aboard show) we found ourselves fully entertained between the comedy, two main shows, and love and marriage show. As much as we love the playlist shows, I think I prefer the older shows as they seem more lively and definitely had more action.

 

 

Overall the cruise was great and we were happy to be back on the Valor, but the service was a definite setback. Hoping this isn’t becoming the new norm for Carnival as we have extremely high expectations for the Vista in a few weeks. If there’s any questions or explanations people want please feel free to post and Ill try and get back to them

Edited June 7, 2016 by Bellicheck Brain Trust

[martinhughes1]

I would agree with the slow bar service on the Valor as I experienced the same slow service on the Magic in April. Most of the slow service was caused by a lack of attention by the bar staff. They never looked up from what they were doing to acknowledge who walked up to the bar until the were ready to serve another customer. Then they didn't even have a clue on who was next to be served.

[cocacola86]

My DW loved the Valor we cruised the Valor when it was out of San Juan

 

 

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[louanne93]

I would agree with the slow bar service on the Valor as I experienced the same slow service on the Magic in April. Most of the slow service was caused by a lack of attention by the bar staff. They never looked up from what they were doing to acknowledge who walked up to the bar until the were ready to serve another customer. Then they didn't even have a clue on who was next to be served.

 

I have heard this a lot on many ships and experienced it first hand on the Inspiration. Not sure why but I sure hope it is not like this on the Miracle in August!!

[Bellicheck Brain Trust]

I have heard this a lot on many ships and experienced it first hand on the Inspiration. Not sure why but I sure hope it is not like this on the Miracle in August!!

 

We were thinking it may have to do with the updated cheers program. More people having access to more drinks than they normally would have gotten without cheers. Either way, if this is becoming a Carnival issue rather than just a Valor issue I hope they fix it soon as it does become frustrating to waste a lot of your vacation waiting around for a drink.

[Kreeb]

We leave on the Valor on Sunday. Do you remember who the mixologists were in the Alchemy Bar?

[Bellicheck Brain Trust]

We leave on the Valor on Sunday. Do you remember who the mixologists were in the Alchemy Bar?

 

I don't remember there name, but the male bartender was the same one who opened each of the prior alchemy bars. He was amazing, very creative and very personable.

[mycomputer]

We leave on the Valor on Sunday. Do you remember who the mixologists were in the Alchemy Bar?

 

Me, DH, DD will be on the same cruise, boarding on Sunday 6/12. Woohoo!

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[escentialssoycandles]

We leave on the Valor on Sunday. Do you remember who the mixologists were in the Alchemy Bar?

 

I don't remember there name, but the male bartender was the same one who opened each of the prior alchemy bars. He was amazing, very creative and very personable.

 

I am also on this sailing - we do have a roll call going. I am sailing with my daughter for her HS Grad. Her friend who was joining us has now fallen ill so it's just her. Either of you have teenagers?

[mycomputer]

I am also on this sailing - we do have a roll call going. I am sailing with my daughter for her HS Grad. Her friend who was joining us has now fallen ill so it's just her. Either of you have teenagers?

 

Yes, DD 16 (17 in December she's a Junior in HS), we did a cruise last August and she stuck to us like glue the entire time lol. Was nervous about going to the teen club by herself. We ought to get them together. Oh so can't wait,3 Days.

[Fern Crest]

Thanks for the review!

 

Though, I'm not a fan of seeing the "slow drink service" complaint more and more lately. I'm wondering if they cut back on the number of bar staff, similar to the proposed cutback of housekeeping staff? It's been mentioned that room stewards have or will have 30 -35 rooms, as opposed to 20.

 

Oh, cutbacks, how we hate that word!

[cruising maniac]

Sounds like you don't have to worry about consuming more than your 15 drink limit.

[Bellicheck Brain Trust]

Thanks for the review!

 

Though, I'm not a fan of seeing the "slow drink service" complaint more and more lately. I'm wondering if they cut back on the number of bar staff, similar to the proposed cutback of housekeeping staff? It's been mentioned that room stewards have or will have 30 -35 rooms, as opposed to 20.

 

Oh, cutbacks, how we hate that word!

 

I know on our cruise my steward still had 20 rooms, but it could be because he also had two captain suites. We definitely did not notice any cutbacks with house keeping, but like I said the bar and dining room service was clearly lacking. Either way luckily none of that ruins a vacation, but it certainly makes hitting 15 harder!

[poz222]

We leave on the Valor on Sunday. Do you remember who the mixologists were in the Alchemy Bar?

 

Milos is the main mixologist... Ask for the strawberry basil (his invention) it is super!

[cruizinrican]

Milos is the main mixologist... Ask for the strawberry basil (his invention) it is super!

 

Thanks for the tip, we sail July 29th!

[moppy459]

Hi, we sail July 16th and was wondering if there were any good bands on the ship? We love classic rock. This will be our 14th cruise with Carnival and sometimes we are very happy with the house band and other times, it's really lacking. Thanks in advance!

[bamaparrotheads]

Hi, we sail July 16th and was wondering if there were any good bands on the ship? We love classic rock. This will be our 14th cruise with Carnival and sometimes we are very happy with the house band and other times, it's really lacking. Thanks in advance!

 

There was a band that played several nights outside of the casino on our cruise in June. We enjoyed them quite a bit and they had a broad repertoire of classic rock spanning several decades of music. Hope y'all have a great cruise!

[Mary49]

There was a band that played several nights outside of the casino on our cruise in June. We enjoyed them quite a bit and they had a broad repertoire of classic rock spanning several decades of music. Hope y'all have a great cruise!

 

That was Music Boardwalk. And they are great.

[Mary49]

Hi, we sail July 16th and was wondering if there were any good bands on the ship? We love classic rock. This will be our 14th cruise with Carnival and sometimes we are very happy with the house band and other times, it's really lacking. Thanks in advance!

 

 

You will see Music Boardwalk and they really play everything including Classic Rock like Freebird, and The Wall among a great number of others.. Just wait until you hear them. They are fabulous. Have a great cruise.

[Hoosierpop]

You will see Music Boardwalk and they really play everything including Classic Rock like Freebird, and The Wall among a great number of others.. Just wait until you hear them. They are fabulous. Have a great cruise.

 

 

Music Boardwalk may be the most memorable live band we've seen on a ship. Four Asian guys getting up there and nailing classic songs. And a wide variety. They were outstanding.

Edited July 4, 2016 by Hoosierpop

[Mary49]

Music Boardwalk may be the most memorable live band we've seen on a ship. Four Asian guys getting up there and nailing classic songs. And a wide variety. They were outstanding.

 

Very nicely said. When you get a chance check out their FB page under Music Boardwalk. There are videos, pictures and comments from their fans. I happen to be editor of their page and couldn't be prouder of them...... Happy 4th

[bamaparrotheads]

That was Music Boardwalk. And they are great.

 

Cool. Never got their name. Guess I should pay attention to the Fun Times. You're right, they are very good.